Heidi Moen Gjersøe

Heidi Moen Gjersøe is a Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Sciences. She maintains a primary academic position at VID University College, Faculty of Social Sciences, and is actively affiliated with the Competence Center for Work Inclusion (KAI) at OsloMet where she serves as editor of the KAI Chronicle. Dr. Gjersøe also holds the position of associate editor for the International Journal of Social Welfare, demonstrating her significant contributions to the field of social policy and welfare services.

Her research focuses on employment and welfare services (NAV), welfare and social policy, grassroots bureaucracy, user experiences, and the exercise of discretion. Key areas of interest include:

• Social policy and welfare policy
• Qualitative research methods
• NAV services and reform
• User perspective and experiences
• Young adults and NEET populations
• Activation policy and first-line service
• Social security and social work
• Exercise of discretion in street-level bureaucracy

Analysis of her recent publications (2021-2025) reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of welfare policy, street-level bureaucracy, and youth unemployment in the Norwegian context. Her work frequently examines how frontline workers in NAV navigate tensions between policy mandates and individual client needs, with particular attention to young adults. There's a clear trajectory toward comparative studies between Norway and the UK, exploring different approaches to welfare services and activation policies, while maintaining a strong emphasis on qualitative methodologies that center user perspectives.

Dr. Gjersøe is actively involved in research dissemination through the Competence Center for Work Inclusion (KAI) at OsloMet and has contributed to significant knowledge summaries on work-related clarification allowances. Her collaborative work spans multiple institutions and often involves interdisciplinary teams focused on improving welfare services and understanding the experiences of vulnerable populations.

She is a member of the research group 'Living conditions, health, work and social inequality' at OsloMet, which examines the complex relationships between social structures, individual experiences, and policy interventions within the welfare state context. Her work has practical implications for welfare service delivery, particularly in how frontline workers balance their roles as both service providers and civil servants enforcing policy requirements.